Bluegrass music is the heart of the "Crooked Road "trail of musical sites and features within southwestern Virginia. Above are musicians attending a Fiddlers Convention in Galax, VA.*

Virginia Goes High-Tech With

Site About Bluegrass Venues

Want something fun for a rainy day? Go online,build a bluegrass lyric and send it to a family member or friend via e-mail or cell phone. And if you do this soon, you'll be entered into a contest. You might win a guitar, mandolin or even a trip to Virginia's Crooked Road region.

It's all part of the Virginia Tourism Corporation's efforts to promote travel to the commonwealth's bluegrass destinations. A new Web site -- www.crookedroadvirginia.com -- specifically promotes the sights and sounds of "The Crooked Road: Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail."

Building a Bluegrass Lyric

In just a few clicks, visitors to the site may chose from more than 500 names, occupations, hobbies and relationships to build a personalized bluegrass lyric. Users may send their new bluegrass hit along to anyone’s email or phone number, even a cell phone number.

The song is sung to the tune of "Sweet Virginia." It's a personalized invitation to visit the Crooked Road. The music for the "build a lyric program" was written and performed by No Speed Limit, one of the many young bands coming out of Southwest Virginia.

Created in 2004, the Crooked Road is Virginia’s newest heritage tourism destination. The Crooked Road connects legendary bluegrass and traditional mountain music venues together in a 250-mile driving tour through the mountain towns of southwest Virginia.

The Ralph Stanley Bluegrass Festival in McClure, Dickinson County, VA, attracts many eclectic musicians. This one brought an unusually painted instrument.*

Among the road's highlight stops are some of the most authentic traditional music destinations in the country. They include the Ralph Stanley Museum, the Carter Family Fold, the Birthplace of Country Music, the Rex Theater, the Blue Ridge Music Center, the Floyd Country Store and County Records, the Country Cabin, and the Blue Ridge Music Institute.

“The Crooked Road is one of Virginia’s richest destinations in terms of musical heritage,” says Alisa Bailey, president and CEO of the Virginia Tourism Corporation. “This is an exciting combination of cutting-edge technology and traditional music that takes tourism promotion in a whole new direction. The new site gets visitors personally involved in Virginia’s Crooked Road online before coming to visit in person.”

Musicians entertain with bluegrass music at the Fiddlers Convention, Galax, VA.*

Online visitors (who visit the site through April) also may register to win a hand-made guitar or mandolin crafted by Gerald Anderson and Spencer Strickland, two of the Crooked Road’s master luthiers.

The contest’s grand prize is a trip for two to the Crooked Road including airfare, rental car, VIP seating to see Ralph Stanley and other bluegrass legends at the Hills of Home Bluegrass Festival, three-nights lodging at the Ralph Stanley Museum suite and a hand-crafted guitar. The contest runs through April.

To build a bluegrass lyric and enter to win a guitar, mandolin and a trip to Virginia’s Crooked Road, just amble on over to www.crookedroadvirginia.com.

*Photos are owned, copyrighted and used with permission of the Virginia Tourism Corporation. All rights reserved. Please do not link to nor copy these photos. Thank you.